


V *°' ^ A 

^ : 

/ A \ •>»/ A% l™- < 

* * ^ . cr o ° N c x. ,i . ‘ 6 ■*<$> >A 

. ^v* :£m^;~ ’’W •* 

° t^ 0 -* ’? B <!m§' *°' 7 *> "'llilS'’/ .^*3* 

•• / \-Wf-f v^V V‘ : 

' v °'. <3*. A ^ tf, .'*•, %. 

o .A a .\s0fSM , ?»b c> <i, • *?> 




•Q C 



ct 

\v °^. *'•<’** ^L 0 ' 'V, * 

. ^ <*Mk. * 

* ^ *v\\ur.i//// ^ ■*■ 

* <V> 

<^ *'o.^** G* ^ 

# * ^ ,0^ ' c ° " ® * ^ W ” A V a l ' 6 ^ 

^ . c o ^ SjrMzZ - V - -* 

^ c? : ^ 

<^a * ° <C^ r ~ J *<\ v 

<n%,il\VA^ * (T ^ * < 

r^A o> o ^ r r\ 

e i ' " <£> * 

« ,V\Wa,"- ^* A .*x4fe&' A 


’ -f>> i 

4 qv 

h».' a o. : 

&> k & •*• 

<*A O * c^ - 

° <r *•*’• a 0 

o' 1 ‘£>4 C> vj' % 5 * * , ^ 

- A* .VSte**. ^ 





$>v ^ 


< c ,%3 

■ Aa ^ Off^ 






* & c 


*> v .*••- c> jy * °* * 

° 

**v • 

;♦ -v v »i , . 

o, •'■>■ .”* * 5 A <*'•*** <o 

£. Q V c O * C * . t * * ^ ~<£. 0^ c 0 W ° * 

S.~<5 .v^BV. SfflPv.. +-uA * 


* w ^ 

« *• 



yWS?< : \ 

^ °°*, ""•'''' ^° %. '*• «••* °^. *" 1 * 



° ^ cP" * 

° V 

* <* 

/ >v^ % 

j&fWYS^ „ -a 

VA o' 




v $ S. V 

« I * AP <S> * 9 H 0 * 

<y **••> *> 

* >£• a' 


& 

O * 

* --- <v °^ '• 

* ^ V ,**•>'., ^ 

« 0 V 0 ° N s ’*b aP' • c ‘ B * ^ 

'*£ C - • c-£^V tJ* - O <T ■* Sr 



x° . 




































THE 


Significance of Leaders 

IN 

Afro-American Progress 


A BOOK DEALING WITH THE PRINCIPLES UNDER 
LYING PERMANENT AND SUCCESSFUL LEADER¬ 
SHIP IN THE PROGRESS OF THE 
AFRO-AMERICANS 


By the REV. SAMUEL BARRETT 

(With Portrait) 


1909 

NEWBURGH, N. Y. 
The News Co., Printers 



t-IZsr 

az 



COPYRIGHT 1909 
BY SAMUEL BARRETT 
All Rights Reserved 



I 












PREFACE 


This little volume has been contemplated by the author for 
a number of years. On several occasions the author has at¬ 
tempted to write it, but many things prevented the accomplish¬ 
ment of his heart’s desire. The author makes no pretensions 
to scholarship, consequently, while he invites criticism he does 
not invite the sort which disregards the facts here stated, for 
form and manner of statement, or that criticism which engages 
in malevolent abuse. 

The book has been published solely because of the great de¬ 
sire of its author to bring to the attention of those who may 
read it the significance of the proper kind of leaders in the 
progress of the Afro-American people. It is sent out in the 
hope that the rising generation of Afro-Americans may study 
the principles underlying permanent 'and successful leadership, 
and that the present day leaders may ask themselves the ques¬ 
tion, “Am I leading aright?” 

SAMUEL BARRETT. 

Newburgh, N. Y., March, 1909 . 










































































































































































































































THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LEADERS IN AFRO- 
AMERICAN PROGRESS. 


ACES, nations, and groups of men are moulded 
and fashioned largely if not entirely by their 
leaders. If their leaders are of a high order of 
intelligence, and at the same time men of broad 
sympathies, sympathies, which force them to take the ini¬ 
tiative against oppressions, and wrongs; if they are men 
who are progressive in their ideas, who desire beneficial 
changes rather, than the clinging on to old ideas and no¬ 
tions because of tradition or other such reasons, they 
cannot help but inculcate these ideas into the hearts, and 
lives of their followers. On the other hand if races, 
nations, and groups of men have the opposite kind of 
leaders they (the people) cannot possibly escape the 
pernicious influence of such leadership. Waiving the dis¬ 
cussion on the origin of leaders, and the further possible 
discussion to the effect that men do not need leaders be¬ 
cause such arguments are foreign to my purpose, I will 
say that from the most undeveloped human beings to the 
most highly cultured races of mankind leaders are 
needed. If we will study the history of the most ad¬ 
vanced and progressive races and nations of the world 
we will find that their progress and achievements have 
been the result of the energy and the labor of the men, 
and the women who were leaders in their respective 
walks in life. What we have gained in education, we 
have gained it through the activity of the leaders in the 
various forms of education. What we have gained in 
moral reforms, we have gained it through the leaders in 
the various moral issues which have affected mankind. 
What we have gained in religious progress we have gain¬ 
ed it through leaders working towards its accomplish¬ 
ment. Numerous illustrations could be given to the ex¬ 
amples already given but, enough has been said I think, 

7 





to show that it has been the leaders, the various leaders 
independent or combined, who are responsible 
for a great deal we call civilization. Therefore, if civili¬ 
zation and progress among the advanced and civilized 
races of men is the result of their various leaders, we 
may infer that the lack of progress and 
advancement in other races may be attributed 
to the same cause. The American Indian, 
now almost extinct, is a vivid illustration of a race that 
failed to make good because of its leaders. If the In¬ 
dian chiefs had worked as faithfully in the arts of 
peace as they savagely waged war against the white man 
and among themselves, their race would not present to¬ 
day such a tragedy. It can be easily seen then, that lead¬ 
ers play a very important part in the onward march 
of civilization, and in the destiny of the various races 
of men. Since civilization and progress is the result 
of each and every leader doing his best in his own sphere 
of activity, I argue and contend that no race or nation 
.can be successfully led by any one man leader. The In¬ 
dians tried it in the persons of their chiefs and failed. 
The Afro-Americans will likewise fail if they permit 
any one man to dominate in every phase of their life and 
activity. 

Only in the world of politics do we have any ap¬ 
proach to the one man leader. And even in their case 
they are not always absolute. The kings, and queens, 
and emperors, and presidents, and governors are not ab¬ 
solute political leaders in the sense that they recognize 
no earthly authority. They are controlled in their delib¬ 
erations- by the law-making bodies of their respective 
forms of goernment. 

For a man to be a sort of universal leader, to be able 
to lead successfully a race or nation in every department 
of its life and activity is not only a mental, but a physi¬ 
cal impossibility. Most of the world’s beacon lights 
were contented to shine in some one thing rather than to 
expend their forces and their energies over the whole 
realm of knowledge and ideas. 

Edward Everett was perhaps one of the most scholarly 
men that America ever produced, but because he spread 

8 


himself over the whole field of knowledge he was un¬ 
able to concentrate his powers on any one definite thing, 
hence, he did not become a recognized leader in any one 
thing. Compared to William Lloyd Garrison and Wen¬ 
dell Phillips he paled into insignificance, and yet, neither 
one of these men, especially, the former, was educated to 
the extent of Edward Everett. My final analysis and 
definition of a leader is this: One who is the acknowl¬ 
edged authority, and so acknowledged by competent 
judges or by the recognition of the people, or both, 
in some special, particular, or definite line of work. The 
above definition recognizes the fact that there may be 
many leaders in the same walks in life. It 
can be readily understood from my definition, 
however, that leaders are known ' first, by men 
capable of passing the proper judgment on their 
particular work, and secondly, by the recognition 
given them by the people because of excellency in their 
chosen line of work. Such recognition and judgment 
is usually given and passed upon the most capable person 
in their line of endeavor. All others in the same ave¬ 
nues are leaders it is true, but rather, followers of the 
one who is the chief leader. For example: Michael 
Angelo was the leader in the art of sculpturing in his 
day, and all others who were his contemporary sculptors 
were followers. Henry O. Tanner is the leading artist 
painter among Afro-Americans. All other Afro-Amer¬ 
ican painters should follow his model in religious paint¬ 
ings. Only when sculptors reach that ability and emi¬ 
nence of an Angelo and indeed surpass him, and painters 
reach that ability and eminence of a Tanner or surpass 
him can they be called the equal in leadership to these 
respective men. Angelo was the center, so to speak, 
around which all the other sculptors revolved. And 
Tanner’s position is similar among the Afro-Americans. 

What is true with respect to leaders among the most 
advanced races and nations of the world, holds true with 
respect to Afro-Americans generally. And it is be¬ 
cause we as a class and race have not reached that stage 
in development and civilization we are capable of reach¬ 
ing and ought to reach, that I plead for the proper kind 


9 


of leaders in our development. True our condi¬ 
tion is far removed from that of the American 
Indian, and other types, of undeveloped races and 
nations, still, the fact, that we are in the midst 
of a race and nation that has had training and 
development for centuries, while we have had less than 
a century; the fact that we are in the midst of a civiliza¬ 
tion advancing, complex, and intricate; the fact that 
there are many things lacking in our race life which are 
essential to our proper development; the fact that there 
are many things in our race life which should be elimi¬ 
nated if we would contribute our best to the world’s 
progress, make the question of leaders and leadership 
of great significance. Being fully convinced consequent¬ 
ly, that what the race needs among other things in its 
efforts to rise, is not some one man leader, but rather 
many leaders each playing his part helpfully in his own 
chosen field— 

I will proceed to discuss the subject, “The Significance 
of Leaders in Afro-American Progress.” I will treat 
it as follows: 

In the first place I will discuss some of the qualifica¬ 
tions for leadership. 

Secondly I will discuss how leadership is known, and 
obtained and lost. 

In the third place I will discuss some phases of leader¬ 
ship. 

And finally I will discuss specific conditions calling 
for the highest type of leadership. 

SOME OF THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR LEADERS. 

Preparation for life is one of the surest ways to suc¬ 
cess. Qualifying one’s self for the duties of a leader 
is one of the surest ways to successful leadership. 

And the first qualification is that of education. A 
leader must have education. If not a college education 
something equivalent to it. Many feel that because they 
have not had the opportunity to take a regular college 
course there is nothing else that they can do, and in con¬ 
sequence thereof make no effort to gain an education in 
any other way. But such persons should read and study 
biographies, and they would learn that some of the 


io 


world's most noted men never went to college, and still 
got or received an education. 

Lincoln and Douglass and hundreds of others never 
received a college education and yet made the world feel 
the weight of their influence. Lincoln and Douglass 
were “self-made” men. What education they received 
they received it by their own efforts outside of the school 
and college walls. 

No one living even a few years after the war, let alone 
nowadays, should grow up in ignorance with libraries 
throughout the country, with the lecture platforms still 
in existence, and with access to all of the churches where 
excellent sermons may be heard from time to time ig¬ 
norance or illiteracy is almost impossible. It is said 
that when Lincoln would return from church he having 
paid such rapt attention to the sermon could repeat it 
almost word for word. Character is another requisite 
to successful leadership. All of us admire a man of 
character, a man of integrity and sound moral principles, 
but we have nothing save disrespect for the man who 
lacks it. It is the leader of sterling character, who will 
not stoop to commit mean, low and contemptible acts 
whose influence is great and permanent. 

A leader should possess insight into the affairs of 
those he leads. 

A leader should possess foresight, he should see and 
know that certain tendencies if allowed to develope must 
inevitably lead to certain results. 

A man's leadership does not amount to much unless 
he is able to influence future generations. The influence 
of Lincoln’s and Douglas’ leadership is with us yet. 

Afro-American leaders need courage. The real lead¬ 
ers are those who have the courage to say the things 
that ought to be said, and at the time they ought to be 
said. In a word leaders should have the moral courage 
to oppose everything that hinders the progress of their 
people. And a leader should have physical courage. 
He should have that physical courage which will enable 
him to bear the privations and hardships incident to a 
leader’s life. 


ii 


Self-sacrifice is another qualification for an Afro- 
American leader. A leader should be willing to deny 
himself that others may be benefited. It has been 
through the self-sacrifice and self-denials of the leaders 
of the past that we are to-day enjoying liberty and free¬ 
dom. The beneficial reforms which have taken place 
in the past were accomplished and brought about by 
leaders who were willing, and did sacrifice everything 
which was near and dear to them in the best interests 
of their people. No man can lead a people success¬ 
fully who is not willing to sacrifice something of value 
and of worth in behalf of his race. President Taft 
said at the close of his address delivered at the 
Haines Normal and Industrial Institute in Atlanta, Ga., 
referring to Miss Lucy Laney, its principal, words to 
this effect: That notwithstanding the prominence of the 
personality here, I cannot but go away and feel the in¬ 
fluence of the one who has made this institution possi¬ 
ble. There were many dark days in the history of that 
school but Miss Laney toiled, and sacrificed and suffer¬ 
ed until to-day she is a model of unselfish Afro-Ameri¬ 
can womanhood dedicated to a noble ideal. If Pres¬ 
ident Taft had visited Lincoln University, Penn., he 
would have found in the person of Dr. Isaac N. Ren- 
dall a similar character. Although white in color and 
race he is still one of us. Indeed he is like many of 
that pure minded, pure souled band of white missionaries 
who went to Atlanta University, to Fisk and others scat¬ 
tered throughout the South, and gave their very best in 
order that we Afro-Americans might have an equal 
chance and opportunity in the struggle of life. Dr. 
Rendall has devoted a greater part of a life now passed 
its four-score milestone in the mental, moral, and relig¬ 
ious training of a vast number of Afro-Americans. All 
Lincoln men cannot help but love the sainted Dr. Ren¬ 
dall. Many a prominent Afro-American to-day owes 
his mental, moral and religious training through the in¬ 
terest and aid of Dr. Rendall. Such examples of leader¬ 
ship are indeed rare, and when they are lived they live 
an unconscious immortality. 

Leaders need to be diplomatic. They need tact. They 


12 


must know when to strike and where to strike. Ill 
judgment and irrationality has crippled the usefulness 
of many an otherwise capable leader. And yet, I do 
not want to be understood to mean that a man should 
be so diplomatic that you cannot tell where he stands, 
not at all. What I mean is this: A leader should be 
deliberate in all of his acts, and be somewhat certain 
that what he does will be an added advantage. And 
finally Afro-American leaders need to cultivate race 
pride. By race pride is not meant race arrogance or 
an idea that your race is better than some other race. 
It is simply meant to mean that since different races 
and classes exist whether we recognize it or not we 
should strive in a manly, friendly, and unostentatious 
manner to make our class the best of classes in the coun¬ 
try and thus get what is due us from a ruling ele¬ 
ment not because of race, but because of merit. 
In a democracy, it is true, there should be no 
classes. Merit and ability and worth should be 
the only test. Color and race should be no bar to hon¬ 
est achievements and honest aspirations. And still as 
much as we regret the existence of class, race, color 
distinctions and discriminations the fact remains that 
Afro-Americans form a distinct class in this country and 
we cannot make our condition any better by denying 
such a fact, or by attempting to live and to act as though 
it did not exist. Nor can we make our condition any 
better by ostentatiously asserting our citizenship. Nei¬ 
ther can our condition be improved by attempting to 
live “like other people,” and thus attempt to get away 
from the life and heart of our people. Only by believ¬ 
ing that the race with whom we are identified is capable 
of attaining to the highest in development and civiliza¬ 
tion can we do our best. A class that is always making 
excuses for its physical characteristics, and desiring to 
be some class other than its own does not have that in¬ 
centive to go ahead and achieve as does the class whose 
only ambition is to make themselves better, and thus de¬ 
mand what is denied them. It is simply impossible for 
a leader to lead effectively who does not honestly and 
sincerely believe in his class or race. I shall not discuss 
the difficulties surrounding the advocacy of race pride 


13 


and other incidental features connected therewith, suffice 
it to say that a leader who lacks race pride leads largely, 
if not entirely, through selfish motives. 

There are some who being opposed to my view on 
race pride will argue that there have been many men 
and women of the white race who have given their best 
for the upliftment of our race, and if they had been 
advocates of race pride being of another race and class 
neither would they have aided us, nor would we have 
been enabled to reach that place in civilization and pro¬ 
gress that we occupy and have reached to-day. 
This argument is as illogical as it is narrow. To help 
your less fortunate brother whether he be of another 
race or your own does not make you any the less inter¬ 
ested in the people with whom your life is cast. Indeed, 
helping your fellow man who may happen to be of an¬ 
other specie of humanity helps the benefactor in becom¬ 
ing a larger man. Race pride is not race exclusiveness. 
While it is true race pride will force a people to de¬ 
velop largely among themselves, it is not, nor does it 
advocate clanishness. We learn by coming into contact 
with others whether they be individuals or races. The 
Afro-West Indians live in the midst of the white people, 
and associate with them, and still the relations between 
the races are most harmonious. Afro-American leaders 
should have race pride, and they should preach it to their 
followers, and when the time comes for the recognition 
not in theory only, but in fact as well, our race shall have 
played its part nobly and well, in t all those things which 
have helped along this era. 

HOW LEADERSHIP IS KNOWN, AND OBTAINED,, AND 
LOST. 

This second division of my subject is somewhat of a 
continuation or elaboration of the preceding division. I 
said in my definition that a leader is one who is the 
acknowledged authority, and so acknowledged by compe¬ 
tent judges or by the recognition of the people or both in 
some special, particular, or definite line of work. 

But someone asks who are these competent judges? 


14 


In reply I will say that a competent judge is one who has 
made a study of some particular subject or work, and 
because of that is in a position to know. For example, 
a judge of one of our supreme courts would be consider¬ 
ed competent to pass on subjects involving the law. Or 
a physician would be considered competent to treat 
a diseased or sick body. The rank and the file of the 
people have usually such faith in the opinions and ver¬ 
dicts of these competent judges, that whenever they the 
judges decide upon the merits of a man’s work such a 
man is hailed leader by the people. Leadership then is 
known by the verdicts and opinions of these competent 
judges, it is obtained by working up to the point and 
place of recognition, and it is lost by incompetency and 
lack of merit in one’s work, and in the case of political 
and religious leaders it is lost by the failure of the people 
to sustain you. There are some who appoint themselves 
leaders with no qualifications for such a role unless it 
be an over-abundance of self-importance. Of course 
such persons should have no consideration, and don’t 
when their real worth is known. On the other hand 
there are others who appoint themselves leaders 
but are justified since, they do thus, either in cases of 
great emergencies, or when the need of the hour de¬ 
mands it. For example, no one would question the au¬ 
thority of a leader who took the initiative to save a burn¬ 
ing building and the lives imperiled therein. A vivid 
illustration of a self-appointed leader when the need of 
the hour demanded it is in the person of the Hon. Joseph 
Benson Foraker of Ohio, who in the face of an in¬ 
trenched opposition argued and pleaded and won the 
cause of the mistreated and outraged Afro-American 
soldiers of Companies B, C and D, “Twenty-fifth In¬ 
fantry.” 

Sometimes men appoint themselves leaders in political 
exigencies. Such a step is not wrong, and will appear 
so if the motive behind such action is good, and founded 
upon a good principle. For instance, in our last presi¬ 
dential campaign some of our leading bishops, and most 
prominent clergymen took a very active part in opposing 
the election of Mr. Bryan. We have all been taught 


15 


somehow, that it does not become a bishop or any other 
ecclesiastical officer or dignitary to meddle with politics. 

I am of the opinion myself that most religious teachers 
would have sufficient to do if they used their energies 
in caring for the spiritual needs of men. But our 
past election has been conceded to have been the 
most exciting and momentous election in many a day, 
and because of that fact, the tendency was to call out 
many new and unexpected leaders. The Afro-American 
bishops, and clergy who advocated the election of Mr. 
Bryan and the Democratic ticket would have no doubt 
been successful in turning the tables in the North and 
West, but for some things in that party, and in its his¬ 
tory that the majority of the American people could not 
forget. They remembered the panic they had just got¬ 
ten over, and although it did not occur while the Demo¬ 
cratic party was in power, many of the people had not 
quite forgotten the panic of 1893 during the second ad¬ 
ministration of the late Grover Cleveland. The people 
generally, also, knew the candidate for presidential hon¬ 
ors had but little experience in governmental affairs, and 
would consequently, be somewhat handicapped when 
he came to deal with large questions of state. They 
knew that the man whom the Republican party put up 
as their leader had a record behind him which gave him 
much experience and practical knowledge in dealing 
with large public questions. These considerations to¬ 
gether with a dread of harder times to come, made the 
election of Mr. Bryan impossible. The Afro-American 
bishops and clergy who worked so hard, so faithfully, and 
so earnestly for the election of Mr. Bryan were remem¬ 
bering “Brownsville”. They remembered that two years 
ago companies “B, C and D”, U. S. Infantry, were dis¬ 
charged without honor, without court-martial, and with¬ 
out anything which military rules and regulations de¬ 
manded. They knew that these men were among the 
bravest soldiers that ever fought under the stars and 
stripes; they knew that representatives of the race to 
which these soldiers belonged had fought in every war 
in which this country was engaged from the war of the 
Revolution, to the war with Spain, and finally, they knew 

16 


that some of these very men saved the life of the man 
who so viciously treated them. 

With all this in their hearts is it any wonder that the 
presidential year of 1908 saw such a determined opposi- 
tion on the part of the clergy, and others prominent in 
all the walks of life among Afro-Americans against the 
'‘Grand Old Party”? Is it any wonder that the G. O. P. 
had it so dufficult to induce Afro-Americans to again 
support the party who had treated them with such injusr 
tice? The argument that the Republican party gave free¬ 
dom to the black man, that it gave him his civil and polit¬ 
ical rights, and the like, against the Democratic party who 
had always ’yea traditionally been opposed to his best 
interests could not, and did not, prevail. Afro-Ameri¬ 
cans felt that they would rather trust their professed, 
and confessed enemies, than their hypocritical friends. 
Whether the bishops and prominent clergymen were cor¬ 
rect in their motives in opposing the Republican party 
each one must judge for himself. Whether President 
William Howard Taft will prove to be our real friend 
time alone will tell. 

SOME PHASES OF LEADERSHIP. 

I come now to the third division of my book, namely, 
“Some Phases of Leadership” in Afro-American pro¬ 
gress. And I shall discuss first, the leadership in educa¬ 
tion. 

I take up the leadership in education first because of 
its overshadowing importance not only in the progress 
and development of Afro-Americans but of all the peo¬ 
ples of the earth. Indeed as a civilizer, education, is 
second only to religion. In speaking of the lead¬ 
ership in education, I am not narrow-minded 
enough to emphasize any particular kind of ed¬ 
ucation. Nor do I believe that any of the thinking 
leaders of the race are as dogmatic in this direction as 
was the case with a great many leaders ten years ago. 
Ten years ago, or perhaps a trifle less, the Afro-American 
world was all sirred up over the numerous controversies, 
arguments, and debates as to the proper kind of educa¬ 
tion fitted for the race. It was natural that in these 


17 


arguments, and differences of viewpoint, no lit¬ 
tle amount of ill-feeling, and in many cases bitterness 
among many of the strongest and in some cases the best 
men of our race should have been engendered. Happily 
for all concerned we are now seeing a cessation of these 
bitter controversies, and a more friendly attitude among 
the men who were once so much opposed to one an¬ 
other’s educational propoaganda; and a tendency to unite 
their influences, gift, and abilities in more laudable chan¬ 
nels. 

But with all of the past unpleasantness among the 
various leaders as to the kind of education essential 
to Afro-American progress, it still remains an undeniable 
fact that education is of vital importance to race civil¬ 
ization, and that no particular form of education is to 
be emphasized to the exclusion of the other, if the race 
would rise to its highest attainments in the world’s prog¬ 
ress. There is no need of education of the heart, or Chris¬ 
tian education. There is need of education of the mind 
or mental and classical education. There is need of 
education of the hand or industrial education. The sig¬ 
nificance of such leaders in this phase of our race life 
is of the gravest moment in the future of the race. 

It is not my purpose to enter into an elaborate dis¬ 
cussion on education here, my purpose at this juncture 
is to talk about the leaders of the three forms of edu¬ 
cation spoken of above, viz., heart education, head edu¬ 
cation, and hand education. By heart education I mean 
Christian education, and this leadership naturally falls 
first to the Christian churches led by their Christian min¬ 
isters, and secondly it falls to the army of Christian 
workers either connected with some Christian denomina¬ 
tion, or engaged in some independent religious work. 
Of course it is understood that the leader of the Chris¬ 
tian forces is Jesus Christ; he should be the example and 
the guide. The minister’s position is one of great re¬ 
sponsibility, but not so much as a minister as it is a 
Christian. Each and every Christian holds a responsi¬ 
ble position and largely from the fact that he is a Chris¬ 
tian. People have an idea that a minister is perfect and 
so forth and so on. But it should be distinctly under- 

18 


stood and remembered that his perfection and purity and 
holiness is not because he is a minister but because he is 
a Christian. A Minister may be endowed with peculiar 
gifts it is true for religious leadership, but this capacity 
is inherent as a leader, and the thing which will count in 
his leadership, as it must count in the leadership of every 
Christian, is the life he lives as a Christian. 

All will be held responsible to the judge of judges in 
their conduct and behavior towards their fellow-men. 
The significance of having the right type of moral and 
spiritual leaders to educate the rank and file of any peo¬ 
ple can only be fully appreciated and understood when 
we fully comprehend the power of influence and con¬ 
crete example as we come into touch with our fellows. 

The next leader in importance is the one who leads 
from the school room, the college or the university. The 
position of the one who leads by training mentally is not 
very far removed from that of the Christian minister, 
and. Christian generally. Perhaps, the distinction be¬ 
tween the two classes of educational leaders is, that the 
minister deals primarily, with the moral, and spiritual 
development of the individual, while the “mental instruc¬ 
tor” deals with the culture of the mind. Now, there are 
many leaders in the field of mental discipline, just as 
there are many leaders in the field of religion. And 
priority in their field is governed by the same law that 
governs precedence in all other forms of leadership. 
As you will find in the ministry only one Spurgeon, or 
Robert Hall, or Henry Ward Beecher, in like manner one 
will only find one educator like Horace Mann, Charles 
W. Elliot, and the late William Raney Harper. Such 
clergymen and educators from the very fact of their 
achievements must have pre-eminence over their fellow 
professional workers. 

In the Afro-American world we have produced no 
great preachers of the type of Spurgeon, or Hall, or 
Beecher, except, it be the late Dr. Joseph Charles Price, 
who was not only a great preacher but a great college 
president and educator as well. It is true that we have 
produced a Dr. W. E. B. Dubois of Atlanta University, 
and while he has contributed much sociological matter on 


19 


the “race problem,” and is still quite an authority in that 
branch of research work, he cannot and does not have 
the freedom, and opportunity essential to make a great 
educator were he president of some institution. Through¬ 
out many of the rural districts in the South there are 
many incompetent teachers, and consequently they can¬ 
not impart much to those who come to them for in¬ 
struction. It is of great significance, therefore, whether 
our teachers teach in the rural districts, the academy, 
the college, or university, that they come up to the re¬ 
quired standard. And if more money were left for 
the purpose of lengthening the school term in the rural 
districts of the South, and to better the grade of in¬ 
struction therein as was left by the late Miss Jeannes 
of Philadelphia, there would be an educational awaken¬ 
ing throughout the South undreamed of. 

The third, and last leader in the educational world is 
the industrial educator. 

Industrial education originated with General Arm¬ 
strong, and Hampton Institute, Va., was the first school 
to carry out his ideas. It is therefore, not a new form 
of education before the American people. But it took 
Booker T. Washington who received his training in 
Hampton to make it a household word throughout Amer¬ 
ica. Among Afro-Americans he is the unquestioned 
leader of industrial education. We all know the value 
of industrial education, we all know that no race can 
exist on one form of education alone, industrial educa¬ 
tion needs no new champion for its existence at this 
late day. It has been so focused before the 
American people by the singleness of aim and 
determination of purpose by the principal of 
Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, that it is being 
riveted into the educational system of all our insti¬ 
tutions of learning throughout the land. The fact that 
Dr. Washington has worked so hard to bring his school 
and the needs of his race to the attention of the Amer¬ 
ican people, the fact that he has so wonderfully succeed¬ 
ed is one reason why he is considered as a sort of uni¬ 
versal leader of ten millions of Afro-Americans by a 
large number of our white friends. But our argument 


20 


on leadership would not hold true if one man could be 
the undisputed leader of ten millions of people in every 
phase of its life and activity. 

The moral and spiritual leadership of the ministry, the 
educational leadership of the teachers, professors and 
presidents, which include our industrial schools make up 
our educational leaders. It is of the greatest signifi¬ 
cance then, that these leaders be of the best type of man¬ 
hood and womanhood in order that the race may reach 
its highest water mark. 

The next leader of importance is the leadership of the 
press, newspapers, magazines and the like. Years ago 
the press exerted but little influence in race affairs, but 
to-day the situation is much changed. The Afro-Amer¬ 
ican press exerts a great influence in race matters. The 
press too, has not only increased in numbers, but at the 
head of a large number are men of intelligence and 
brains. Not only has this happened and is the case, but, 
the Afro-American press editorials and opinions 
are being recognized more and more by the white 
press of the country. If the Afro-American 
press will not be subsidized, and will take a decided 
stand against everything which tends to put us in a false 
position before the country and the world, if it will be 
free and independent and fearless, it can be the means 
of doing much towards solving the “race problem”. It 
is to be regretted that we have so few Afro-American 
journals that are willing to take a decided stand for the 
right, and against injustice and wrong within the race 
as well as without it. One can count almost on the 
fingers of one hand the race journals that have the moral 
courage needed in race journals behind them. The 
time has come and now is when Afro-American 
journals must be courageous in denouncing chi¬ 
canery in every form, and from whatever source. It 
is only when the press takes the initiative, only when 
it becomes a moulder and not a follower of public opin¬ 
ion, does it in any manner become a leader. A news¬ 
paper whose editorials are not greatly concerned with 
every vital question of the day, a paper whose editorials 
are not models of force and independence cannot be a 


21 



leader. The press everywhere wields a mighty influ¬ 
ence in the community in which it is published, either 
for good or ill, the press is a power. But it is only 

when we see how it stands upon great public questions, 

and on the living issues of the day do we assign it the 
proper place in the work of the world. If the heart of 
the editorials is right then the paper is a healthy moulder 
of public opinion. If not, then it is an unhealthy mould¬ 
er of public opinion. Men are influenced by the news¬ 
papers they read. If our newspapers don’t stand for 
all that is highest and noblest in race develop¬ 

ment such leadership is wrong. There are many 
newspapers that are a positive hindrance to race 
progress, newspapers which take no interest 

whatsoever in race development, but in most every other 
thing which is trivial and insignificant. So unconcerned 
have been a very large number of race papers as to the 
future welfare and destiny of the race that when some 
of the gravest questions have come up for comment and 
discussion these papers have either taken a position un¬ 
favorable to the race, or have remained criminally si¬ 
lent. There have been of course, notable exceptions. 
Editors and newspapers that were real leaders, that 
did not hesitate to go against the crowd, and sacrifice 
time and money. 

Next to the leadership of the press comes the political 
leader. The political leader who helps his race most is 
the one who will not in any way be bribed, and who will 
stand for full political recognition. Leaders who cannot 
be bought nor sold; leaders who will put the future des¬ 
tiny and welfare of their race before party or money or 
rum; leaders who will not be serfs to any one party, 
especially, when that party preaches one thing and prac¬ 
tices another; these are the leaders who will give us 
a political status in this country. Such leaders could de¬ 
mand something worth while in all of our large Afro- 
American centers and they would get it. Such leaders 
would not be contented with janitorship positions. Do 
you think ten millions of people would be without a 
Congressman to represent them in a Democracy? We 
need political leaders who will not be contented with a 


22 


few dollars in lieu of political recognition of the race. 
In a word doesn’t the general absence of political recog¬ 
nition throughout this country suggest the necessity of 
such leaders in race development. When we consider 
the various branches of this government, when we con¬ 
sider how each and every citizen by virtue of his citizen¬ 
ship has an important part to play in making this our 
common country great we can then, perhaps, better un¬ 
derstand the significance of political leaders. 

I have considered in my division of some phases of 
leadership three namely, the educational leader, the lead¬ 
ership of the press and the political leader. I might ex¬ 
tend this discussion to include many others such as the 
leader in the various forms of business, the leader in 
the law, the leader in medicine, and the like, but I think 
I have made it sufficiently clear to my readers the ob¬ 
ject of bringing in this division namely, to show how 
leadership may exist in the separate and independent 
activities in life. 

We come now to the fourth and last division of our 
book, namely, some specific conditions in Afro-American 
life calling for the highest type of leaders. 

THE PROBLEM OF UNITY. 

In union there is strength, in division there is weak¬ 
ness. A brick structure is strong through the combined 
strength of all of its bricks. A chain is strong through 
the combined srength of all of its links. If there exist 
a loose brick or a loose chain the general strength of 
each is proportionally weakened. If in union there is 
strength in inanimate objects, in material lifeless things, 
the same holds true in human affairs. The great labor 
organizations are strong and formidable because they 
are united. To argue against unity and hope to gain 
social strength and solidity is as illogical as it is to 
argue we can gain strength without eating the food 
necessary to produce it. That the Afro-Americans have 
never been united except in a few notable instances 
is almost axiomatic. That we need to be united is equal¬ 
ly as plain. We should be united along educational 
lines; we should be united along religious and moral 


23 



lines; we should be united along industrial, business and 
commercial lines, in a word we should be united in 
everything which helped us to a higher, better and nobler 
manhood and womanhood. If the race were united in 
everything which tended to uplift, the problem would 
be half solved. 

I am fully aware of the intricacies surrounding the 
problem of unity, but unity can be accomplished if we 
work to that end. It will certainly not be accomplished 
if we persistently deny its possibility. Some few years 
ago in the city of Philadelphia over three thousand Afro- 
Americans united in order that they might make an “ef¬ 
fectual protest” against the production in “Walnut Street 
Theatre” of the “Clansman ” by the Rev. Thomas 
Dixon, jr., stating as their grounds for so doing, that 
it increased race hatred. They were successful in pre¬ 
venting the production of the play, and from that time 
we have heard but very little of the Clansman. 

But perhaps the greatest exhibition of race unity the 
race has ever displayed was in the agitation which fol¬ 
lowed the discharge without honor of Companies B, C 
and D, 25th Infantry. It was a splendid exhibition of 
race unity, North, South, East and West. And the 
beauty of it all was that the race was not united for 
anything else save the fundamental military principle of 
procedure, that those soldiers ought to have been tried 
by a regular court martial before being dismissed. And 
this position taken by the race throughout, the country 
not only won for us sympathy and aid from our white 
American friends, but also aided Senator Foraker con¬ 
siderably, in making his remarkable fight for the re-en¬ 
listment of the soldiers, and in the accomplishment of 
his grand victory. Let every leader organize unity 
clubs throughout the country, and let these clubs be sat¬ 
isfied with nothing short of the complete enfranchise¬ 
ment of the race. 

Afro-American leaders are needed to bring about a 
strong public sentiment against lynching, mob violence, 
and lawlessness generally. Since Miss Ida B. Wells, 
now Mrs. Ida B. Wells Barnett, retired to private life 
we have had no individual man or woman to take the 


24 


stand or a stand against lynchings. Among the many 
evils which are facing the country I know of nothing so 
out of touch with the true American spirit as lynchings. 
For the last twenty years or more the lynchings of Afro- 
Americans have gone on. Some years it has been a very 
small number, other years it has been much larger. The 
Chicago Tribune can give those interested in looking 
up the statistics on lynchings some very good informa¬ 
tion. Many thought that lynchings and mob law would 
die out, as the years went by. But all those who were 
hoping for such a thing must be sadly disappointed when 
they still read of lynchings occurring in the year of 
Our Lord nineteen hundred and nine. It must be very 
evident that there would be few lynchings if the authori¬ 
ties of the states where these lawless acts occur would 
make some effort to find the guilty parties and punish 
them. Lynchings feed on the lack of the proper author¬ 
ities putting them down, and failing to make examples 
of those who participate in these lawless acts. How a 
sovereign state calling itself civilized and christianized 
can permit a human being to be burned alive, and be rid¬ 
dled with bullets is more than most people can under¬ 
stand. It is immaterial to me how heinous the crime is 
that is committed lynching is never justifiable, and law¬ 
lessness should never be tolerated. There is something 
wrong, fundamentally, wrong with our religion; some¬ 
thing wrong with our Christianity; something wrong with 
our pulpit; something wrong with our public men when 
they will permit their fellow human beings to be burned 
alive by fiends in human form; what right have we to 
send missionaries to convert the heathen, what right 
have we to spend so much money on foreign mission¬ 
aries, what right have we to protect Cuba, and the 
Philippines and last Liberia, when we permit our own 
citizens to be lynched by any band of men so long as 
they are white that might assemble for that purpose. 

Lynchings will never cease until public sentiment gets 
so aroused that it will demand that it be put down. Be¬ 
sides the time will come when white men knowing that 
they can lynch an Afro-American at will, will not hesi¬ 
tate to lynch members of their own race, and indulge 


25 


generally in lawlessness. Now when a body of men 
because they happen to be white, and because the ruling 
power happens to be white feel their importance so 
much that they can lynch another race because that race 
happens to be black, or yellow, or mulatto, or poor, or 
weak, then those people are disrespecting the courts es¬ 
tablished and run and paid to handle all civil and crim¬ 
inal cases out of the public treasury. There is no neces¬ 
sity for the judiciary department of our government if 
men are to be a law unto themselves. There must be 
respect for law else our civilization will surely fail, and 
our religion become a hollow mockery. Ceaseless agi¬ 
tation will arouse public sentiment and bring to an end 
that barbarious custom. We must never cease agitating 
against lynchings. 

There are problems which confront the race in all 
of our large cities which call for the highest form of 
leadership in their solution. Afro-Americans are very 
numerous in such cities as Boston, New York, Philadel¬ 
phia, Baltimore, Washington, Pittsburg, Cleveland and 
Chicago. And wherever there are large numbers gath¬ 
ered together in such centers they are forced in large 
numbers to live in very unsanitary dwellings which not 
only produce conditions not conducive to sound, healthy 
moral growth, but also disease. It is the duty of 
Afro-American leaders to see to it that the great body 
of the race live in sanitary houses or tenements. 
There is need of much more work being performed by 
our leaders in medicine in attempting to stamp out con¬ 
sumption and other lung diseases. There is* a great need 
of leaders, and a wide field for service and usefulness 
among the poor and lowly of the race in all of our large 
cities. There is need of more social settlements. But 
these social settlements should be conducted by educated 
Afro-Americans who know the needs, wants and aspira¬ 
tions of their people better than anyone else. It is to 
be very much regretted that we have not more men and 
women of culture and refinement willing to give their 
best to the work of the lowly. As leaders we can do 
more real effective good to our fellows by coming into 
personal touch and contact with them than we can ever 

26 


hope to do by suggestions or even by money. General 
Booth, that grand old man of the world, will live as 
long as history is written, why, because, he has given 
men and women the human touch. 

The temperance wave has struck the South, and 
it will be the means of revolutionizing the lives of thou¬ 
sands of men, yea women, in that part of our country. 
All glory and honor to the leaders of the temperance 
movement in the South who have set themselves to work 
to drive out the curse of all curses—rum. If ^Jae. South 
would bring public opinion to bear strong enough, and 
if they would work as earnestly and as hard to stamp 
out lynchings, and to treat their Afro-American fellow- 
man as the golden rule and fair play and justice dic¬ 
tate, they would be then showing their superior civiliza¬ 
tion and Christianity. 

Afro-American leaders face conditions and problems 
within their own race which call for an equal amount 
of courage and self-sacrifice as was and is being exhibit¬ 
ed by the temperance leaders of the South. And in 
the language of Commodore Perry we must say that 
we have met the enemy and they are ours. We must 
work hard to rid the race of those evils which are sap¬ 
ping our very foundations. There are some other con¬ 
ditions which face the race such as crime and the like 
which I shall not attempt to discuss here. 1 have in¬ 
dicated a sufficient .number of specific conditions and 
problems I believe for others to suggest themselves to 
the thoughtful reader. The significance of leaders in 
Afro-American progress can be easily seen by all stu¬ 
dents of Afro-American life. All students of race life 
must know that a race can never rise higher than its ideals, 
and these ideals must be the ideals set by those who are 
called leaders. If the leaders have no lofty and uplift¬ 
ing ideals their followers will have none. Leaders are 
ever making impressions either for good or ill. And 
these impressions are lasting. How important is it then, 
that our leaders be men really called of God to lead. In 
whatever position a leader may find himself, or in what¬ 
ever phase of leadership he may be called upon to lead 
his leadership is significant. As a race and class we are 


not careful enough concerning uur leaders. We do not 
enquire who he is and what he can do. We accept any 
kind of a leader, and in many instances every kind of a 
leader. Hence, we are quite often very poorly and very 
badly led. The significance, the importance of leaders 
in Afro-American progress should be a more vital ques¬ 
tion with those who have the interest and welfare of 
their race at heart. 



















V<j^ 


<a 5 C U> 




,0' 



o ^ 

* ° " 0 A’ 

% 4? * Y * ° 


a 


* u ^ * 

" 0 ' A 0 \ w 9 ' 1 ' 

a? V ** * °- > V s 

/ 4tto % &+ : 

"'** r* » /$ °\% o 

° g^lPfa * a S o t/ J^&An •* a > v\ 

<•> ■**t. s * -o. *« a <* 

■*'•% C°o <** /&*& ^ o' 




4 Ox 

^*■ *<» * 






o 

c 


V 'iil'x \ .O' *<**x *> V N ' 

■J? **iste. 4®5r * v 

\ ; $5# /\ ^/\ 

'° • * * A <\, *' 7 .** 0^ <5 '•.A* 

, -o / .^ 7 % ** 0° «C^5r ^ j"J 

,N <, <S^oA\ IT%x * * VJ .* JRt///P i, « *N 








W 0 


^ V*" 1 y / < 

P 1*1*®/* *> Y c* ,o v <7*<v 



o 

\ V V^x ‘'on 0 

v . A’A^ % .• 

<v ;*«-., \/ 


^ 7 

^ w. - B „ o - xv. -- '- *• «,> 

V *1 

%A * 

,%^'V . 

■0/ vp> o „ 

x r <. *'T 7 T‘' .(T ^ * 77 ’ 1 

r -O ^ C 0* 

* s ^ 5 vVA\h%x * 'T’x ^ ♦, 

o v . ^Kv^pm^ t v* o~ 






A * ” 

lP O 



^■ny 

<j.l' O ^ ^ 

o,v < 

, V s , » Deacidified using the Bookkeeper pr 

y Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxid 

^ Tr eatment Date: April 2010 

ofe PreservationTechnolo 

^ A 5 0 A WORLD LEADER IN COLLECTIONS PRESEF 

^ ^ "* 111 Thomson Park Drive 

* * A *p~ * K Cranberry Township, PA 1606 

'*- ^ x0 V O < (724)779-2111 






>■ \u 



W o 




* J r\ ^ 

o r\J ^ * 

U ® / “i 

' ^ ^ /*%**'. ♦. 
vp 9 ' 


>?q* 


^ v 


° * * 


*\ 





<$> A^ * 

vv 



v\ 


o « A 


V> 

* ,0^ t .^ ^O, ,H> 

,V 5 l>-V ^ c **&rf 2 ?±? ° A 


a - 'o v 

*/ *° ^ 



O 

% 

* o 

* 4 ?* .-& N 

° b * '+* o y » ,g-y fe# •* -o k 

V * 0v t, ’-'WEft' -SIIPV ^ V 

a o %> ••' <y % ° *° a 0 %> 

a?' ^. ,v 1 *>;.; % q* .o v *> 

* o A «■ • <* A * .AwA" 

; *<? -“ //Ao 





« 'w' r 

/ </%. A \ 

, ^7,V <6^ o*'®*** A <* ^TVi* 

^ r° V fc fl "A! % ^ ,0 

>• • - •««'. ^ : 
r* ^<2*, :mg>. ^0^ 


* V\ . ~ 

t” ^ o'* .‘ 



«T ^ v 

* ^ A 


,4 o. 

r> ^ i« 


library binding *£ . ,A ♦> 

1 V * 

MAY 6 9 jx -: 

ST. AUGUSTINE v V^ 




°o ; 


srA z 
* <o£ "* ^ °° 

FLA - \^v <* *<T 1 < 5 , 0 ' 

32084 ‘il!', % q. 











































































